


Somewhere in the Upland Willows

by desrouleaux



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Canon-Typical Violence, Charles Smith is a sweetheart, Consensual Sex, Drinking, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Romance, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2020-06-24 22:08:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19732747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desrouleaux/pseuds/desrouleaux
Summary: Sometimes all it needs is a three day hunting trip and, just maybe, a bottle of moonshine.





	1. Prologue

You have been stuck with the Van der Linde gang for a couple of weeks now and you have mostly settled in; showing on more than one occasion what you were capable of since they found you causing a mess in a saloon somewhere around Blackwater.

Everything could be just fine, even after the ferry job gone wrong, but something, or rather someone, is keeping you from focusing on yourself, like you usually did.

He has been occupying most of your thoughts for some time now, and it bothered you, because there is nothing you can possibly do about it. Not here, not now.

He is a lonesome wolf type of man; powerful and incredibly handsome – to you at least. There is this kind of mysterious aura surrounding him and you want to tackle that mystery – desperately.

You’re sitting on a tree trunk in your current camp at Horseshoe Overlook, and you have just about the perfect view on him as he is chopping some wood while you pretend to read the book Mary-Beth has given you.

You cannot help but admire the way his bulging biceps flexes whenever he swings the axe; how his sweat glistens in the sun, emphasizing the beauty of his dark complexion. You bite your lip as the craving of wanting to touch the strands of his long raven hair sticking to his temple becomes almost unbearable.

“Can I have it when you’re done?”

You only snap out of your daydream when Karen taps your shoulder, snickering quietly.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to scare ya, (Y/N)!”

You must shield your eyes with your hand before you can look up at her as the midday sun is burning down on you mercilessly.

“Sure, uh, I’m not really interested in it anyway – here” You close the book before you hold it up to her. Karen smirks at you as she takes it.

“Yeah, I thought you might be more interested in something else around here.”

She winks at you before turning on her heels again. “Thanks!”

And with that she leaves you wondering; biting your lip again, now out of nervousness, you look back at the spot across from you.

However, Charles is already gone.


	2. Matchmakers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're still crushing hard on Charles, but decide to just leave it be; until some fellow gang members decide to play matchmakers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did outlaws eat lunch back then? Idk, anyways...hope you enjoy this! ♥

You’re sitting on the tree trunk, the one that somehow became your favorite spot in the whole camp, minding your own business while cleaning your guns, when you see someone approaching you out of the corner of your eye.

“Miss (Y/L/N)”, Arthur greets, his voice gruff yet friendly as always.

“Mister Morgan”, you greet him back, not looking up from your guns.

He comes to stand in front of you, casting a shadow where once warm rays of sunshine tickled your skin, and he doesn’t speak until you do.

“Can I help you?”, you ask, looking up at him eventually.

Arthur isn’t looking at you as he stands there, his hands casually resting on his belt buckle.

“No” He shakes his head, and the shift of his posture lets the sunlight catch you off guard, blinding you for a second or two.

“Well then, mind if you –“

“I’m sorry”, Arthur says, interrupting you. “but I’m actually here to help _you_ with something.”

You scoff in amusement and return to polishing your revolver. “You know, Arthur, I heard some folks say how you’re always grumpy and serious, but I think you’re a funny man.”

You think the conversation is over, but Arthur clears his throat awkwardly.

“I mean it, (Y/N), I want to help you.”

You look back up at him; the sincere tone in his voice makes you curious. What is he talking about?

Arthur takes your attention as a sign and he crouches down to be on eye level with you.

“I’ve been watching you tiptoeing around our Native American friend for weeks now and me and Hosea think it’d be good for you two to,”

He lowers his voice even more and you almost have trouble understanding him now. “you know, – get to know each other a little better.”

You stare at him for a good ten seconds before bursting into laughter.

With a confused frown on his face, Arthur watches your reaction, but remains calm.

Some gang members, including Hosea who is shaking his head with a cup of coffee in his hand and a book in the other, watch the scene but quickly return to what they were doing.

As you calm down again, you pat his shoulder before standing and straightening up.

“I told you, Mister Morgan, you’re way funnier than people want to give you credit for.”, you say, still snickering as you gather your guns and cleaning supplies.

Arthur stands up and you can see that the conversation isn’t over for him yet, so you shut him down quickly before turning on your heels and fleeing towards your tent.

“You have a good day now.”

* * *

You’re sitting in the shade of your tent as the spring sun really picks up pace during noon, and you let your mind wander back to the conversation with Arthur this morning.

What made him think you’d agree to his poor attempt to play matchmaker? Did Charles say something about you watching him like a bitch in heat? And if Arthur, who let’s be honest, isn’t the most mindful type of man, has noticed, then who else has?

Your stomach drops as both deep embarrassment and shame wash over your body, and you rest your head on your cocked knees to hide your crimson cheeks.

“I guess you’re thinking about this morning, aren’t you, (Y/N)?”

You lift your head just enough to peek at the man sitting down next to you, while Hosea places a bowl of steaming stew at your feet.

“Pearson called everyone for lunch, and you didn’t show up; thought I should better come check on you, lass.”

With a deep sigh, you sit up straight; feeling guilty now that Hosea went out of his way to bring you food even though he doesn’t have to. You’re not used to people caring about you anymore; it somehow makes you uncomfortable nowadays.

“Thank you”, you mumble as you reach for the bowl carefully.

However, Hosea doesn’t leave right away. Instead, he looks you over before inhaling deeply, and you know it’s only so he can give you a longer lecture.

“I know Arthur’s delivery of proposal wasn’t perfect, but he tried, and he cares about you”

You nod in agreement before taking another bite. Arthur has indeed become a kind of big brother figure since you joined the gang and even though you butt heads occasionally, you’re still grateful for having him around.

“and so do I, (Y/N).”, Hosea admits. You can see the small smile tugging at the corner of his wrinkly lips as he gazes into the distance ahead. “You’re like the daughter me and Bessie always wanted.”

There’s a twinkle of sadness in his eyes when he finally looks at you and you swallow hard as you feel a foreign pain in your chest. “I’m sorry, Hosea.”

The older man chuckles and waves you off. “Don’t be, (Y/N). That was a long time ago and I have made my peace with her death.”

You put the half-full bowl down, now lacking your appetite after a sudden confession like that, and you wrap your arms around your knees again. “I don’t know what to do about Charles. I don’t know if he even knows I exist or if –”

“Oh, he does, lass.”, Hosea chuckles as if he knows more than he wants to let on. “He might not be the chattiest person, but he knows more than he likes to admit.”

You purse your lips, now pondering.

“All we think is that you two could be good for each other.”, he tells you before standing up with a huff. “And now finish up your stew, you’re going on a hunting trip.”

You look up at him, a question mark gracing your face. “Excuse me?”

“Pack some warm clothes, a thick coat maybe, and bring your guns. You’re leaving soon.”, he tells you nonchalantly before gesturing to your bowl once again, more sternly this time, before leaving you be.

“Finish your stew, Miss (Y/L/N)!”

* * *

You do as you were told, finishing your food all while wondering about the whole conversation with Hosea. You can’t help but admit to yourself that you enjoy the sort of fatherly care the older man shows you and without even fully realizing it, you’re packing up a few of your belongings for a hunting trip.

You’re just about to roll up your sleeping mat when the crunching of twigs and leaves announce someone approaching your tent yet again.

As you look up, your heart nearly stops.

“Are you ready to leave, (Y/N)?”

Charles is wearing his hunting gear and hat while his raven hair is loosely tied in a ponytail, giving you the nicest view on his sharp jawline and the scars on his right cheek. He looks breathtaking, causing you to be too stunned to give a coherent answer before it gets awkward.

“(Y/N)?”

You snap out of it when he calls your name again, but the butterflies going rogue in your stomach make it hard for you to focus.

“Uh, yeah, sure. I’m – I’m ready”

You roll up your sleeping mat frantically. “I guess.”, you mutter under your breath as you gather your guns and bag.

You can feel his observant eyes on you, watching you intently while you try to play down your nervousness and the way your hands shake as you carry your belongings.

“Alright then, let’s go.”, Charles says, locking eyes with you quickly before nodding his head towards your mounts.

You follow him, keeping enough distance while your mind races and your stomach flutters.

As you pass both Hosea and Arthur, they fail trying to hide their triumphant smiles and you both curse and thank them internally.

“Have fun, (Y/N)!”, Karen shouts from her spot, sitting with the rest of the girls, washing clothes.

With a quick turn of your feet, you flip her off before scurrying after Charles. You can hear her giggle and you wonder if she has anything to do with this mess.


	3. Bison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As you and Charles are on your merry way, he finds some interesting animal tracks he suggests you should follow. Meanwhile, you feel like a burden. Does he even want you around?

“We should stay off the main roads for a while”, Charles says as he guides Taima east of Horseshoe Overlook.

You give no answer and nudge your mount to follow them in a slow trot. Charles is right after all; you don’t know who you could bump into on the main road. The law? Perhaps. O’Driscoll’s? Probably.

“what do you think, (Y/N)?”, he asks suddenly.

“Hm?” You look at him, but he’s facing forward. “Oh, yeah, you’re right.”, you answer and clear your throat awkwardly. Why is it so hard for you to talk to him? You suppress the urge to smack yourself.

You ride next to each other in silence for a while as Charles leads the way through the open fields of the Heartlands until you start to recognize the scenery.

“That’s the Twin Stack Pass ahead”, you say matter of fact as soon as you see the mountains in the distance. “where exactly are we going?”

“ _Shhh_ ”, Charles shushes you after stopping Taima in her tracks.

You watch him as he surveys the ground closely, and you notice some strands of his silky hair come loose from his ponytail and falling into his face; his jaw clenching as he concentrates. Your heart skips a beat at the sight.

“A herd of bison came through here not too long ago”, he mutters eventually. “if we hurry, we could track them down before sunset.”

You look at the ground, too, but except for rocks, dirt and some tramped down plants, you don’t see any tracks. “Eh, alright.”

You can see a small smile on his lips, but he turns his head away quickly, nudging Taima to move once again.

“Have you hunted bison before?”

You shake your head. “I’ve never really seen one up close to be honest.”

“Hm” Charles looks at you, surprised. “Really?”

You shrug your shoulders. “Yeah”

You don’t want to admit to him that you’re not the most experienced hunter. When you were still roaming around the land all by yourself, you usually just stole money to buy food, since you’re a better thief than hunter. And whenever you couldn’t get any money, you tried to hunt small game mostly or stay hungry when you didn’t have any luck.

“My mother used to tell me how her tribe moved with the bison”, Charles tells you suddenly. “as if they were one, y’know? Where the bison went, my people went, too.”

He looks over at you and you smile at him, sincere and honest. You don’t know what makes him tell you such a personal thing all of a sudden, but you hope he won’t stop any time soon.

“Bison can provide you with everything – food, shelter, clothing, tools.”

Charles turns his focus on the tracks again and your face drops.

“There was a lot of respect.”

Is he just telling you this to pass the awkward silence between you? You start fiddling with your reigns nervously as the mean voice in the back of your mind returns, reminding you of your insecurities.

“Where are you from again?”

The question seems random and again, you can’t tell if Charles is just trying to make conversation or if he is interested in you.

“I –“

_“Help!”_

A desperate voice echoes over the plains, cutting you off quickly.

_“Please, I need help! Anyone, help!”_

It doesn’t take much skill to figure out where the voice is coming from and with a brief, but meaningful look you share with Charles, you start riding.

_“Help me, please! I’m lost!”_

“Charles, this could be a trap!”, you call out to him while he spurs on Taima.

“I think I can tell the difference between a trap and someone who really needs help, (Y/N).”, Charles answers and the confidence in his voice makes you believe him. Besides, even if it turns out to be a trap, you know that Charles is a more than capable fighter.

Still, you have one hand on your revolver as you finally close in on the damsel in distress.

“God almighty, I’m so glad to see you! I – I need help, I got lost!”

He’s an older man of small physique wearing glasses; defenseless and with no mount in sight. You see a big rucksack at his feet, nearly bursting with freshly picked herbs and plants.

Charles gives you a teasing look and you roll your eyes with a small smile as you take your hand off your gun.

“We can take you back to the main road and point you in the right direction.”

“Yes, yes! Thank you, mister!”, the stranger exclaims with a breath of relief. “Actually, I left my horse at the road and wandered off, so if we could find it, that’d be fantastic.”

You watch Charles as he looks around the ground for the man’s tracks for a moment, before he helps him climb on Taima and you wonder how an honorable man like him can be part of an outlaw gang.

* * *

You have been riding for a little while when you finally spot a lonely sorrel-colored Morgan grazing carelessly by the dusty road.

“There he is! That’s my Eugene!”

Both you and Charles can’t help but chuckle at the silly name as you ride towards the horse. The stranger jumps off and rushes to Eugene, who accepts his owners greeting nonchalantly.

“Well, be careful next time you wander off into the wilderness.”, Charles reminds the old man and signals you with a nod that it’s time to leave.

“Wait –“

You watch as the old man rummages around in Eugene’s saddlebag until he pulls out a small metal can. “I want to give you a reward!”, he says as he offers it to Charles, but takes it from him with a thankful nod. “It’s an ointment I made. It helps with cuts, burns and minor wounds.”

With a quick ‘ _thank you_ ’, Charles and you return to your initial quest – hunting bison.

* * *

It doesn’t take long until Charles picks up the herd’s tracks again, but you have lost daylight when you helped the stranger and the sun is starting to set slowly.

“How come you’re such an expert in people?”, you ask, partly to break the silence, but mostly out of burning curiosity.

Charles shrugs his broad shoulder and it takes a moment before he answers. “I guess you learn to read people when you’re on your own for most of your life. It’s part of surviving.”

You think about his words and what he had told you earlier. Charles truly is a survivor and a great one at that, too.

“I should have met you earlier in my life –”, you admit, chuckling softly. “could have spared me a lot of trouble back then.”

You can feel his eyes on you as your horses trot next to each other. “I agree.”, you can hear him mutter and your heart skips a beat. You have daydreamed about Charles lots of times before even really knowing him at all, but know you can’t help yourself and picture him with you, before the Van der Linde gang and all the troubles you have been through all alone.

“They must be in the valley ahead,”

Charles points ahead to the ridge and you frown quizzically before you remember the bison herd.

“let’s ride up that ridge for a better look.”, Charles tells you and you notice how his face lights up whenever he talks about those animals.

You guide your mounts up the ridge and the view is truly breathtaking.

“Incredible, aren’t they?”, Charles mutters under his breath as you watch the herd grazing peacefully in the green valley. “I haven’t seen a herd that big in a while.”

You listen carefully while Charles tells you all kinds of random facts about the herd.

“There”, he points to a large bison grazing a little offside the herd. “you can even see the alpha male.”

Meanwhile, the land gets bathed in all kinds of luscious colors as the sun finally sets behind the mountains.

“Have you ever hunted a bison at night?”

“We won’t hunt a bison, (Y/N). It’d just be a waste.”, he answers, still looking ahead. “The camp’s supplies are not running that low.”

You frown again. Why would he waste a whole day to track the herd then?

“We should settle here for the night and keep riding east in the morning. I heard about a good spot to hunt white-tail.”

Charles dismounts and takes his sleeping mat off Taima while you watch him. Whenever you think you start to get to know him better, he confuses you all over again.

Finally, you dismount, too.

* * *

The small fire is crackling as flames flicker around the freshly killed jackrabbit cooking slowly.

You’re preparing the bread and canned beans you brought, when Charles sits down across from you.

“Camp is safe”, he tells you as he checks the meat. “I think this place is pretty deserted.”

You nod absentmindedly before offering him a plate. “Here”

“Thank you”, Charles says as he takes the plate. His warm fingers brush against yours and his intense eyes make you blush. “You’re welcome.”, you mutter and start fiddling with your bread nervously, picking it apart to seem busy.

“I usually go hunting to get away from our camp for a while, y’know?”, he admits to you out of nowhere. “It’s just an excuse to be alone.”

You look up at him, but he’s staring into the flames. The light of the fire only accentuates his handsome features, his flawless dark skin and you notice that his hair is loose again. However, his sudden confession hurts.

“Well,” You try to clear your dry throat, but the pain makes you feel like you’re choking. “I’m sorry Arthur and Hosea forced you to take me with you.”

Charles scoffs and locks eyes with you. If he is as good at reading people as you think, he should see the hurt on your face.

“I’m not.”, he answers, his voice serious and low. “I’m glad you agreed to join me.”


End file.
